Easton Valley
Easton/Greenwich, NY
1960's-possible 1970's

This area is on private property - please ask permission from the owners before exploring, thanks.

History ~ Current Pictures ~ Memories

History

Easton Valley was a small, brief ski area that operated in Easton, NY in the 1960's and possibly into the 1970's. It was a private ski club, and thus, any records for the area in guidebooks, etc is limited. The area was located on the hill directly east from Willard Mountain which is still open. There was a base lodge along with a motel at the base.

The area had a double chair that served an approximate 400-450' drop, along with a surface lift that served a gentle slope. The main mountain was VERY steep - most of the trails plummeted straight down from the summit. The double chair had a length in the 1300-1500' range - so you can imagine how steep the trails were.  However, a few beginner or easier trails did wind their way from the summit on less difficult terrain. 

The chairlift was located across from the lodge, across a now marshy area. It is not known whether the marsh did not exist when the area was open, or if less water was there then. Today, you can not walk directly from the lodge to the base of the chairlift, you have to take a 15-20 minute detour around the marsh on logging trails.

(Right - a trail map from the area, courtesy Woodcore. You can see the chairlift, novice area, hotel and restaurant.)

 

The beginner area was located closer to the lodge and was not directly connected to the main hill. It was served by a surface lift of some kind.

Easton Valley closed at some point in the 1970's. The double chair was removed and was possibly sold to nearby Willard Mountain. It is unknown what happened to the surface lift. Both lifts foundations are still easily found. 

The area was sold and was actually operated as a nudist camp for several years known as the Phoenix. The area was then sold to the current owners, Easton Mountain, a men's spiritual retreat center in 2001. It is a beautiful property, and resembles a more isolated location in the mountains of Vermont. Easton Mountain has added several buildings, completely renovated the lodge, added geodesic domes, gardens, cabins, a sanctuary, along with many other improvements. They have made good use of the area and have preserved its character. Please visit their website for more information on the current use of the area. 

We are looking for more information on this area - if you have any pictures from when it operated, or any brochures, please email Jeremy, thanks!


A Terraserver shot of the area today. Note how much of the trails have totally grown in and are hard to see on this map. Some logging roads have remained fairly clear. A=Beginner's Area, B=Lodge, and between the X's is the double chair lift line.

Below is a Topo map of the area. Note how close it is to Willard.

Current Pictures

I was fortunate to have a guided tour of the area on Jan 25 2006 by David Sledesky, the general manager of Easton Mountain. He was nice enough to take me around the area show me all the remnants of the lost ski area - which would be quite hard to find without a guide! While the area is almost impossible to make out from a distance - plenty of remnants were found upon closer inspection.

Base Area

Here is the base lodge, which has now been renovated. It is now the restaurant for the center, along with a large activity room, and other facilities.

A view of the lost area, from just north of the above lodge. The double chair traveled between the X's (not the nearly vertical line straight up the slope). Note where the double started, across the marsh. This marsh may not have existed or may have been smaller at the time of the area operating.

Beginner Area

Lift foundations for the beginner lift.

The beginner slope, still mostly clear.

Double Chair Lift

Base of double chair (note foundation in the weeds in the marsh), with a view of the base lodge and motel in the background.

Looking up the liftline of the double, near the base. Note how totally grown in the liftline is!
The liftline is a bit clearer near the summit. This is the end of the liftline and unloading area.

Looking down the liftline. You can make out the line by the difference in the height of the trees, though its tough!
Foundations at the end of the lift.

Summit Ski Patrol Cabin

 The cabin for the ski patrol, falling apart.
The inside is in real bad shape...

Misc.

 Some power cables near the liftline have grown into the tree!
A view of a narrow trail.

Memories

David Welch: It was a very steep, and small area located near Willard Mountain. It had a chairlift, and a hotel at the base. The chairlift was sold off when it closed, and the base lodge and hotel became a nudist colony. That also closed. The buildings are still there, though the trails are barely discernable. They have grown in quite alot. There are ponds near the base. It is located of Herrington Hill road, on a side road with two small statues on each side. Very easy to miss. It is private, but I've driven back there before without trouble.

If you have more information on this area just let us know.

Last updated: March 5, 2007

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